Flying machine



H. A. HILL.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATIUN FILED MAR. I8, 1919.

1,330,321. Patented Feb.10,192o.

2 SHEETS*SH EET'I.

H. A. HILL.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8. 1919.

1,330,321. Peeeeeed Feb.1o,192o.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs 'PATENT onirica.

QHOMER A. HILL, F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

` `FLYnver-ivnrcarinii.

i p Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1o, ieee.

appncatioafueaivrareh 1s, 191e. serial no. 283,315.

` To' all 'w/"Lomz' may concern.'

Be it. known that I, HOMER A. HILL, a citizen of the` United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have in-` vented new and useful Improvements in Flying-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification. y

This invention relates t0 flying machines of the helicopter type, and one object of the invention is to provide a flying machineof this character having superposed and oppositely rotating sets of lifting and propelling blades, and with which coperates an aerofoil surface giving increased lifting capacity, the construction being such that the op-` eration of the propeller blades will produce a partial vacuum above the aerofoil surface" in such a manner as to materially increase its lifting effect. l

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of oppositely rotating sets oflifting and propelling blades, whereby `the nega-` tive or vacuum lift will not only be pro# moted but stability ofthe craft insured.`

A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of lifting and propelling blades in cooperation with an aerofoil surface whereby both the lifting action of the blades and that of theaerofoil surface will be jointly promoted and increased.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference" being had to the accomriage or wheeled supports 2 for supporting i the machine when at rest upon the ground j5.0

and adaptingthe same to be moved from place to place upon the ground or to run along the surface of the ground under its ownV power. `This car is designed to contain suitable accommodations for the pilot and passengers, if any, the driving motor V(not shown), and the required mechanism for controlling the machine in flight. As shown, the body 1 may have mounted thereon a vertical rudder 3 for steering the machine laterally, which rudder may be operated by any suitable type of operating means.

Mounted on the car is a driving shaft 4:

constantly rotated in one direction by ther motor, whiclishaft is coupled at its upper end by a universal or gimbal joint 5 with the lower end of a main propeller. shaft 6 extending to a predetermined height above the apen of the car. Supported by the shaft G is a propelling mechanism generally of inverted frusto-conical form and consisting of two superposed frusto-conical propeller frames, generally indicated at 7 and 8. The upper propeller frame 7 consists of upper and lower frame members each comprising a hub9, rim 10, and an annular series of spokes or arms l1 rigidly connecting the hub and rim, the upper propeller being completed by an annular series of propelling and sustaining blades or vanes 12 and the lower propeller by an annular series of blades or vanes 13.

The blades or vanes 12 and 13 of the two propeller frames 7 and 8 extend around and are secured to the upper and lower rims 10` of the respective frame members, and the` blades of each set are of curved or cambered form, having an outer concave surface 14 and aninner convex surface 1K5, each blade being provided with a leading edge 16 and a trailing edge 17. The leadingand trailing edges of the blades are arranged to overlap"throughout theseries, and the leading edges of the blades of the upper propeller face -in one direction, while the lead` ing edges of the blades of the lower propeller face in the opposite direction. As shown by the. arrows in Fig. 1, the upper propeller device 7 may be mounted torevolve in a counter-clockwise direction, while the lower propeller device 8 rotates, in a clockwise direction, although iti` isfto "be understood that the respective propeller def" vices `may be revolved in the relatively opposite directions, that is to.` say thatthe upper propeller device maybe revolved in a clockwise direction while the lower propeller device is revolved in a counter-clockwise direction.

The shaft` 6 receives counter-clockwise driving motion from the motor and the hubs 9 ofthe upper propeller 7 are fixed directly to said'shaft, and hence the blades 12 are rotated with and in the same direction as the shaft 6, while the lower hub 9 of the lower propeller 8 is l'ixed to a bevel gear 16 loosely'inounted on the shaft 6 and receiving motion from a bevel drive gear 17 fixed to said shaft G'through the medium of an intermediary gear 18, journaled to rotate upon a sleeve 19 mounted on the shaft 6. Itwill thus be understood that the lower propeller 8 will berevolved in the opposite direction to the propeller 7, and that the blades 13 will accordingly be revolved in the reverse direction to the blades 12, the rotation of the two propellers 7 and8 in opposite directions tending to keep the ship stable in the air, Ythe side torque or thrust of one propellerV being counteracted in a large measure bythatv of the other propeller.

y SupportedV beneath the lower end of the lower propeller 8V of the truste-conical propelling mechanism is an aerotoil 20, comprising a dished Y circular body having a concaveylowerlace 21 and a convex upper 'face 22. {This aeroi'oil is supported by a bracket 23 carried by a sleeve 2t loosely mounted on the shait- 6said vsleeve being provided with a crank arm 25 coupled to .the upper end vof a sustaining and adjustingrod 26 extending downwardly into the car 1. Therod 26 has a threaded .lower end engaged by-.arlockmgl and adjusting screw ',127 lrevolubly mounted between a pair of spaced bracket members 28 within the car,

said screw being provided with a hand wheel or other suitable form of operating member whereby the rod 26 may be adjusted upwardly and downwardly, by which means the propelling mechanism as a whole may betilted a fore-and-aft direction for the purpose Vofsteering the craft vertically and balancing it longitudinally, it being understood that the rod 26 normally holds the bracket 2 3 in a fixed position and against rotation. ,s By theadjustment ofthe rod 26, the propelling mechanism may also be suit- Y ablyl inclined at a desired angle of inci- .dence'to propel lthe machine forward at Vgreater or less speed or to vary its climbing angle.v The joint 5 is adapted to permit of the described tilting of the propelling mechanism, whilek also permitting' driving motion-trom the shaft l to the shaft 6.

As the Vpropeller blades 12 rotate in one direction, while the propeller blades 13 rotate in theopposite direction, it will be undcrstoodthat ar'gyroscopic action is instituted tending to maintain the stability of the craftfwhile the bladesl at the same time owing, to their angleV of incidence continuo usly compress Ythe, air. for a supporting action 'in'the"rotation of the propellers. In the operation Aof launching 'the craft, the Propellers, ,arranged inl the normal position s own 1n Fig. 1, are" set 'into actionV and revolved at high speed to litt the craft directly from the ground into the air. lVhen the desired altitude is reached the propellers are then tilted forwardly at such an angle that'the propeller blades will exert a supporting effect as well as a propelling ellect upon the air to drive the machine forward in course of flight. lt is obvious that the propelling and lifting eliects may be varied and governed by driving the propellcrs at different speeds and tilting them to diilierent angles of inclination. By reducing the speed of the propellers to a desired degree. the machine may be maintained at a given altitude in the air and driven forward, and by proper tilting motions ot the propellers in a lore-and-al't direction the longitudinal stability may be maintained, the gyroscopic action or' the oppositely rotating sets ot propellers giving inherent lateral stability. lt will be evident that by proper adjustments of the propellers the crait may be caused to ascend in a direct vertical path or to ascend at an angle, and by reducing the speed of the propellers the craft maybe allowed to descend at any desired low rate olf' speed either in a direct vertical path or at a gliding angle. By also reducing the speed ot the propellers to exact sustentation speed, the craft may be made to hover in the air over any given point.

It will be observed that in the action ot the propeller blades 12 and 13, the outer or reaction surfaces of said propeller blades. being inclined in the direction oiY motion, will compress the air for a lifting in'lpulse and then throw oil the air to reduce head resistance. It will also be evident that the air entering the space or chamber formed by the truste-conical propelling device, and bounded b v the said blades 12 and 13, will be forced by the inner or rarefaction surfaces ol the blades to take a whirling motion or form a vortex, and travel upward out of the open top of said chamber. By this means a partial vacuum will be formed within the chamber to secure an additional negative litt on the blades 12 and 13, and also to secure an increased negative lift on the aerofoil 20. For the purpose of facilitating the discharge oi the air from the vacuum chamber, delectors 29 and 30 are provided which extend radially of the chamber and are arranged in the path ot the air toarrest its continuous rotary movement and first deiiect it for sustaining compression and then allow it to pass upwardly for escape. These deliectors may be disposed at any suitable position or at any suitable angle for the purpose. The dellector 29 is secured to a sleeve 31 surrounding the shaft 6 and which is provided with a gear 32 meshing with a gear 33 driven from a gear 34 fixed to the shaft, wherebyv said de- Hcctor 29 will revolve in the opposite direction to the blades 12. The deflector 30 is secured to a sleeve which is fixed to the shaft 6 so that it will revolve in a direction reverse to the direction of the blades 13. Hence the deflectors will operate to facilitate compression as well as the upward travel of the air accumulating in the vacuum chamber, thereby maintaining a continuous partial vacuum in said chamber, with the result of promoting and increasing the lifting forces of the lifting and propelling blades as well as that of the aerofoil 20. y

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim :v-

l. A fiying machine embodying a car vand a supporting surface comprising a vfrustoconical body consisting of upper and lower reversely rotatable propellers.

2. A flying machlne embodying a car and a supporting surface consisting of a frustoconical body forming a vacuum chamber, said body comprising a pair of superposed oppositely rotating propellers, each propeller having a series of blades upon the periphery thereof.

3. A flying machine embodying a car and a supporting surface of frusto-conical form comprising a pair of superposed oppositely rotating propellers, each propeller comprising a frame having an annular series of propeller blades upon the periphery thereof, said blades inclined to rotate at an angle to the perpendicular, and means for adjusting the propeller body to vary the working angles of the blades. y

4. A flying machine embodying a car, a supporting surface consisting of a frustoconical body forming 'a vacuum chamber, said body comprising a pair of superposed oppositely rotating propellers, and an aerofoil surface above the car and in proximity to the base of said vacuum chamber.

5. A flying machine comprising a'car, an

aerofcil disposed above the car, and a proriphery thereof, and a deiector inclosed by the blades of each propeller and arranged to deflect the air upwardly from the vacuum chamber, each deflector being arranged to rotate in a direction reverse to the direction of rotation of the cooperating pro` peller blades.

7. A fiying machine embodying a car, an

aerofoil surface arranged above the car, a propelling mechanism comprising superposed oppositely rotating propellers forming a vacuum chamber arranged above the aerofoil7 each propeller comprising an annular frame carrying a peripheral series of blades, and a deflector arranged within each propeller and rotating in the opposite direction to the blades thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HOMER A. HILL. 

